politics.com. that does itor us. we're back here bright and early, 9:00 a.m. now fredricka in for suzanne malveaux today. >> that's right. it is morning. this is brunch hour. put it that way. kyra, have a great day. live from studio 7, i'm fredricka whitfield in for suzanne malveaux. let's get you up to speed for this thursday, july 21st. the space shuttle era is over. shortly before the sun came up, "atlantis" came down. >> main gear touched down. >> today's landing marked the end of 30 years of space shuttle flight. 2,300 nasa workers will be laid off within days. almost 6,000 more will lose their jobs in the coming months. nasa's shuttles will go to the museums. homeland security is warning state and local police to keep an eye on private utility companies as well as their power grids and pipelines.

officials say nothing suggests an attack is imminent. they only say recent incidents reinforce the terror threat. and hope for a grand debt fix was dimmed just a bit in washington. some democrats and republicans are picking apart the latest plan with the same old complaints. liberals say it cuts social security and medicare. conservatives say it raises taxes. republicans have refused to raise the nation's debt limit without deep spending cuts and no tax increases. the deadline now is just 12 days away. somalia's president is asking the world for immediate help to feed his country's people. the united nations says more than 3.5 million somalis are threatened by famine. aide workers call the food shortage even worse than the ethiopian famine of the mid-'80s. >> our children need immediate action. immediate action is action today. almost half of this country's population will be

sweltering in a dangerous heat wave today. hot air and high humidity will make big cities along the i-95 corridor feel like a sauna. the national weather service says the heat wave may have contributed to 22 deaths already. and london police are expanding their investigation into the phone hacking scandal. an official says it now involves newspapers beyond rupert murdoch's media empire including "the daily mail" and "daily mirror." the police task force has added 15 investigators, bringing the total working on the hacking scandal to 60. nfl owners are meeting in atlanta today to vote on a tentative labor deal with players. the reported ten-year deal, if finalized, would divvy up the league's $9 billion in annual revenue. players were supposed to vote yesterday but never did, suggesting there's still a few details to work out. nfl fans say, enough already. >> 10% unemployment in the country, right? us poor folks scrap and scraping

to get by. come on. it's billionaires against millionaires, right? can you not meet in the middle somewhere? here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. carol costello in washington with today's question, should politicians participate in religious events? >> that's a good question. the country, fredricka, is drowning in debt. jobs are m.i.a. lawmakers are too paralyzed by partisanship to help much. so why not pray? at a stadium in houston next month, texas governor rick perry plans to lead a day of prayer at an event dubbed "the response." >> with the economy in trouble, communities in crisis and people adrift in a sea of moral relativism, we need god's help. that's why i'm calling on americans to pray and fast like jesus did. and as god called the israelites to do in the book of joel. >> now, the event is sponsored

by the american family association. a conservative christian organization. and that's got some folks in texas mighty upset. they say a texas governor should not be involved in a religious revival because it blurs the separation between church and state. thing is, that line is blurred plenty. every year the president of the united states speaks at the national prayer breakfast in washington, d.c. and guess what? he talks religion. >> it was through that experience working with pastors and laypeople, trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods, that i came to know jesus christ for myself. and embrace him as my lord and savior. >> still, the event in texas has become the proverbial political hot potato. perry will likely be there next month, but organizers tell us his role has yet to be determined. so the talkback question today, should politicians participate in religious events?

facebook.com/carolcnn. facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read some of your comments later this hour. >> thanks so much, carol. look forward to that. all right. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering right now. first, it looks like the bipartisan gang of six debt ceiling deal may be in trouble. we'll look at why liberals and tea party conservatives won't buy into it. also, why getting food to starving somalis may require dealing with terrorists. then, an emotional celebration as space shuttle "atlantis" touches ground. and nfl owners meet today over a deal to end the lockout. late we shall they're calling her crouching wendi, hidden tiger. rupert murdoch's wife is the talk of social media in china. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain

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some of the stories our affiliates are covering around the country, a 62-year-old wind surfer found clinging to her board in san francisco bay is hoisted to safety. the sail on her board failed. her husband had reported her missing 12 hours earlier. the coast guard believes she survived the cold water because she was wearing a wet suit. arizona has launched a website to raise money for a fence along the mexican border. the goal is to raise $50 million in private money. right now about a third of the u.s. border with mexico has some kind of fencing. kansas city has set up eight cooling centers to help people survive the heat wave. heat-related illnesses have killed 13 people in missouri alone this week. the city is trying to get people who don't have air-conditioning to go to the centers.

>> we welcome people to come in and cool off, get a drink of water, use the restrooms. take some time out of being outside. >> we really want to see folks start looking out for their neighbors, start looking for places where they can get a little relief from the heat. >> boy, do people need relief fast. rob marciano, it looks like this heat wave is just going to continue. it's got a lot of momentum. >> it is. it's kind of shifting. the folks that really had it bad the past several days across minnesota, wisconsin, they have seen a bit of a break. now it's getting into chicago and moving to the east. 30 or so states under a heat advisory or warning of some kind. now we're into the i-95 corridor. heavy populated areas from d.c., baltimore, philly up through new york and boston. the only areas along the immediate coastline, you get a little breeze. try to get to cooling center. there's going to be strains on the power grid. that's certainly going to maybe knock out some power and you might be without air-conditioning or a fan.

that's when things get dangerous. check on your elderly neighbors for sure. all right. tomorrow a little bit of break in chicago. everything, again, shifting off to the east. 106 the expected heat index in washington, d.c. 109 is what it's expected to feel like in new york city in the shade. so if you're outside in the direct sunlight, it's going to feel a lot worse than that. some computer models think that things may cool off a little bit come saturday, but i doubt that. looking at 100-degree index at least in washington, d.c. why are we making such a big deal of this? believe it or not, heat is the number one weather-related killer. hurricanes, flooding, those two big ones, are trumped by heat year after year. you know, in modern-day history, 1995 in chicago, we had several hundred deaths. in 2003 in europe, several thousand deaths. this is a serious business that we certainly want you to be aware of. that cool front is going to make slow progress and it's not a very strong one. it doesn't go very far to the south. so i think the south is really going to be in it as far as the

heat goes for the next, well, not only several days but several week. i want to touch on one other thing. to get away from the heat, because it's just making me sweat just sitting here, look at that storm. hurricane dora. almost, almost a category 5 storm. it is just off the coast of mexico, but expected to stay off the coast and continue to go out to sea. nonetheless, try to get your mind off the heat, sometimes it's a psychological thing. stay hydrated and try to get in the shade when you can. >> you can't drink enough water, especially now. thanks, rob, appreciate that. all right. time is running out in the search for a deal to raise the country's debt limit. if there is no agreement in 12 days, the government risks defaulting on some of its bills. with the clock ticking, the chance of a broader deficit reduction plan appears less likely. so where do things stand right now? what are the stumbling blocks to this deal? joining us to talk about that is john avalon. he is a cnn contributor and senior political columnist for "newsweek" and "the daily

beast." this plan from the so-called gang of six bipartisan senators seemed to be gaining traction. now, you know, lawmakers are starting to criticize it including reportedly ohioan republican representative jim jordan and representative and republican senator jeff sessions. so is there a chance that this deal really could succeed? >> of course there's still a chance. i think it's still the best deal that's put on the table. president obama has critically said that he would be willing to sign a short-term extension to the debt ceiling if it -- folks saying later on on this gang of six bipartisan deal. what's really discouraging and really the ultimate indictment of this atmosphere of high partisanship in washington is that a bipartisan deal, because it is embraced by president obama, is securing the broad outlines he supports, is being criticized by some republicans as, transfer, being impers missable. "the wall street journal" saying it would be the most important reform to the tax code since the 1980s and congratulates democrats on board for embracing

not only the tax rate but entitlement reforl form. this is a critical moment right now. >> john, what does that mean that the president would throw his support behind this plan and that suddenly there are some who say, well, i don't even want to support this plan because i don't like the fact that the president has thrown some support behind it? what does that mean? >> sit's a complete indictment f the hyperpartisanship in washington, d.c. these folks are trying to play political games. we've got an objective deadline approaching. it's not a stand for fiscal responsibility if you refuse to pay a bill after you already spent the money. all you do is end up getting interest rates jacked which puts you further in the financial hole. that's where we are as a nation right now. we can solve this problem. we should be able to solve this problem. it's going to take everybody giving a little bit. that's why a bipartisan deal, ambitious bipartisan deal like the gang of six deserves serious

support. instead, everything gets derailed by the hyperpartisanship and the country suffers. there'll be real political consequences as well as economic consequences if we go over this cliff. >> does it say more about sort of the splintering of even the republican party with the tea party movement, that there is this commitment from tea party followers who say that, you know, whatever the president puts on the table, we're going to oppose that and, thereby, it kind of creates this divide within the republican party for those who do want to go forward with a bipartisan plan? >> look, to be fair, there's 70 democrats in the house who oppose any entitlement reform which would have to be part of any grand bargain. you're right to the extend there's a hard core group of folks in the republican house in particular approaching negotiations with an all or nothing mindset. party members were elected by saying in large part themted to reduce the deficit and debt which they believed was generational theft. question is, is that your first

priority or drawing an absolute line on taxes? if you take a look at the gang of six plan you should be thrilled if tax is your priority because rates would be lower and cuts would be made first and not after. it really becomes a question of priorities. if republicans want to relink fiscal conservatism with fiscal responsibility they will be able to work with this president and deal with this deal because it does much of what they want. all or nothing is never on the menu. of course, the devil is always in the details. that's not news. >> cnn contributor john avalon, thanks so much for your insight. appreciate that. >> thank you. wall street prepares just in case there is no deal to raise the debt ceiling. find out what companies are doing and how it just might affect you.

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the deadlock over raising the nation's debt limit is making wall street a bit jittery. now financial players are coming up with contingency plans just in case there is no deal and the government really does default on its debts. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange with details on this. alison, what kinds of steps are these companies taking? >> well, financial companies, fredricka, they're keeping an eye on the bond market. they're watching the bond market very closely. they're preparing for a loss of confidence. treasuries are a type of investment. they're u.s. bonds. they're a gold standard. they're aaa rated. they come with low risk. it's always been a sure bet you're going to get your investment back and get paid interest. but if the government defaults, investors could head for the door and interest rates could soar. so companies, they're preparing by trying to calm nerves ahead of time. for one, you look at mutual funds. talking about retirement funds and pensions. they're working to persuade their boards to hold on to bonds, thinking everything is going to be worked through. that's what they're telling them. they believe a default at this point is unlikely.

they still think the government debt -- that government debt is a good investment. now, we've also got the ratings agencies in this. they're trying to figure out who could be affected by a default. so they can prepare as well. so they're looking at insurance companies and states. they're looking at this ripple effect. analysts are saying it's really hard to prepare for the unknown. >> what about those states, then? are states putting some measures into place to try to prepare just in case the government can't pay its bills towards them? >> well, they're coming up with a plan "b" as well. they're finding other ways to get cash. you know, like the federal government. the issue here for states is the bond market. because states sell bonds to raise cash but there may not be much demand if the federal government defaults. now, california is coming up with its own contingency plan. it's looking to have a $5 billion bridge loan so it will have cash on hand. and when things turn around, california plans to sell bonds to repay the loan kind of like borrowing from peter to pay paul, fredricka. >> at least we're enjoying a little bump in the numbers.

the markets right now. what is happening? >> yeah, european leaders look like they're making good progress on a greek bailout. the markets seem to like it a lot. dow up 145. nasdaq better by 26. financial shares are really leading the charge. 29 of the 30 dow components are in the green. that even includes cisco systems, top performer up about 2%. a good day for the markets overall, fredricka. >> very good. thanks so much. three great stories. only one can air. here's your chance to vote for the story you want to see next hour. first, you watched the revolution. but have you seen the movie? a new film dramatizes the events of the egyptian uprising. second, they're training to be the first female pilots in the afghan army and they're getting their wings right here in the united states. or, third, a painter's passion for rescued pit bulls becomes high art in st. louis and saves animals in the process. you can vote by texting 22360.

text "1" for egyptian revolution the movie. "2" for first female pilots in afghanistan or "3" for pit bull painter. the winning story airs next hour. are they ready for some football? that's the question right now as nfl owners meet in atlanta to try to end a four-month lockout. a key vote could break the stalemate. our david mattingly is on the story. >> reporter: who gets how much of $9 billion in annual revenue? the numbers are so big, nfl fans in a tough economy had a tough time keeping score. >> 10% unemployment in the country, right? us poor folks scrapping and scraping to get by. come on. it's billionaires against millionaires, right? can you not meet in the middle somewhere? >> reporter: in march, with owners and players reportedly $800 million apart, the owners voted for lockout. even the president had something to say about it. >> my working assumption at a

time when people are having to cut back, compromise and worry about making the mortgage and, you know, paying for their kids' college education is that the two parties should be able to work it out. >> reporter: the owners came to the table with three main demand. give players a smaller percentage of annual revenues, play more regular season games, 18 up from 16, and no more top dollar contracts to unproven rookies. but four months later, word from inside the closed-door meetings was close, but no deal yet. already the first economic fallout, some towns are losing millions because of training camps that won't be opening. and pressure builds by the day. >> we want to play football. we want to go back to work. but we're not going to agree to any deal unless it's the right deal for all the players. >> all right. cnn's david mattingly joins us now from downtown atlanta where

the meeting is taking place. so any indicators that they're close to a deal? >> reporter: all we can say right now, fredricka, is that there is a lot of hope here. when the owners and some of the top executives of the 32 nfl teams gathered here, they started their meeting at 10:00. they had hope that the nfl players would vote on their agreement and they would have that in front of them here so they could vote as well. they are ready to vote. they are ready to move forward with this. but the players did not go through with that last night and now they're waiting and watching to see what happens in washington, d.c., where the player representatives are meeting right now to see what they do and when they might have an agreement that everyone can finally ink and get this season going, fredricka. >> and if they don't reach an agreement today, then what? >> reporter: well, then the dominos start to fall. the first team was supposed to report for training camp tomorrow. that's the chicago bears.

they're playing the st. louis rams in the first game of the season. the hall of fame game, that's on august 7th. the very first sunday of august. so they don't have a lot of time to prepare if they have anymore delays. everyone now feeling the pressure, but no one saying there's any deadline here. but they know that if they have to start messing with the schedule, they're going to start losing money. that's going to affect revenues, and that's what this fight has been all about. >> david mattingly, downtown atlanta, keep us posted. thanks so much. deadly famine in a war zone. will the international community have to make a deal with terrorists in order to get food to the starving people of somalia? a live report from the pentagon. price-line ne-go-ti-a-tor. so, you've been double crossed by other travel sites and now you want to try the real deal. yes, is it true that name your own price... ...got even easier? affirmative. we'll show you other people's winning hotel bids. so i'll know how much to bid... ...and save up to 60% i'm in

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i want to take you straight to washington where there's more talk of the debt ceiling. there's john boehner. let's listen up. >> i believe that the congress must act before august the 2nd, and i hope we're prepared to do that.

[ inaudible question ] >> congress has acted on this issue some number of years ago. and i think what the congress acted on in a bipartisan way and is the law of the land should remain the law of the land. >> speaker baner, the tax reform under discussion between the meetings, between you and the president? >> well, i think i'll keep the contents of my discussions with the president between the president and myself. it would be -- listen, i always believe that keeping the lines of communication open were important. frankly, i think it would be irresponsible on behalf of the congress and the president not to be looking at backup strategies for how to solve this problem. but in the meantime, the house has acted. we've pass our cut, cap and balance bill. it's time for the senate to act. >> do you believe that letting the bush high income tax cuts expire next year would be raises taxes? >> i believe that would be

raises taxes. >> if the end of the vote at the cut cap and balance, one of the leaders of this effort said when asked if there could be a compromise, he said that was the compromise. do you sense that some of your members are locked in and they cannot compromise, they can't go off of the cut, cap and balance? >> i'm sure we've got some members who believe that. but i do not believe that would be anywhere close to the majority. at the end of the day, we have a responsibility to act. and we have two problems. we have a debt ceiling that has to be raised. and if we don't deal with the size of our debt, our credit rating is going to be downgraded. if the united states of america's debt rating gets downgraded, every interest rate in america will go up. it is -- it is important for us to act on both fronts. if we're serious about getting our economy going again and growing jobs. thanks.

>> all right. very quickly, house speaker john boehner there underscoring a few points, saying the lines of communication remain open between he and the president. and he says, of course, we, talking about those on capitol hill and in washington, have a responsibility to act on, number one, the debt ceiling, to raise it and, number two, to tackle the size of the debt. he says it would be irresponsible not to look at a backup plan. so that's where we are right now as it pertains to the debt ceiling and tackling the nation's debt. right now, let's turn to the world's worst drought in half a century. it is causing widespread famine in the horn of africa. the u.n. says more than 10 million people are being affected across the region. our david mckenzie focuses on the heartbreaking plight of one woman on the front lines of this crisis. >> reporter: driving through bone dry northern kenya. deep into takana. in the remote village of kapur,

they're angry. with the world focused on famine in somalia, they want to tell their stories. outside of the media glare, people like alice cordet are barely surviving. she lost all her livestock months ago to the drought. a proud nomadic herder. this is the worst year i've seen. there's been no rain, no water. because of that the animals have all died. now there's no food. it's so bad she must feed emanuel wild fruit and dirty water, which makes him sick. he was born with a twin sister, miriam. she died in may. i'm doubly cursed, says alice, because i gave birth to twins during a drought. miriam died because of it. she died of hunger. the world is focused on this drought in the horn of africa. here in northern kenya, it's part of a downward spiral.

the rains are becoming less frequent here. the droughts more often. this is a chronic emergency. tony lake, the head of unicef, says we need to focus on the big picture. >> while there are a lot of lives that are in danger here, there's also a way of life that's endangered here as well. it's a damn shame. >> reporter: it would seem like to me this is an extremely vulnerable population when compared, say, with the world's population. how would you assess the horn of africa? >> this is the most fragile situation i've seen anywhere. >> reporter: the dry season will last here for several more months, at least. and the longer term view is also grim. so the people of takana are asking one thing. don't forget them. david mckenzie, cnn, takana, kenya. >> the famine is even more severe in neighboring somalia. the united nations says close to 4 million people are in crisis in that drought stricken country. almost half the population.

somalia's president has issued an urgent appeal for international aid. that's in addition to an appeal from the u.n. its mu mantarian coordinator for somalia fears tens of thousands of people have already died of s starvation. most of them, children. next, we'll explain why the international community may have to make a deal with terrorists in order to get food to the starving people of somalia. you name it.

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to get food to the starving people in somalia, donors have to go through a terrorist group affiliated with al qaeda. for that side of the story, we turn to cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, what can you tell us about this islamic militant group controlling large pieces of somalia? >> well, they are in control of the very area where millions of people are now at risk, fredricka. and the obama administration is making it very clear it wants this terrorist group to stay out

of the way of international aid workers. >> reporter: nearly 4 million somalis are now facing famine. and in the middle of it all? the terrorist group known as al shabab. the al qaeda affiliate the u.s. has been targeting with air strikes and raids. al shabab which controls much of southern somalia says it will now allow outside aid groups back in. it banned them two years ago calling them western spies and crusade crusaders. u.s. officials worry trouble is ahead. >> neither the united states or others in the international community are prepared to pay bribes or taxes to al shabab chil it starves its own people. >> reporter: al shabab while fighting in recent years attacked aid convoys, seized food shipment and charged aid groups fees. for its part the u.s. treasury department bans aid that could benefit terrorist groups and al shabab is one of them.

as a result, aid from the u.s. to somalia has plummeted just as drought took hold. aid organizations say they will help even with the physical risk of air tack, or the legal risk of inadvertently delivering aid to al shabab supporters. >> it's no coincidence the precise geographies that have been labeled with famine are precisely those areas where al shabab has limited access, harassed aid workers. >> reporter: many worry aid workers are at dire risk. >> i think aid organizations that trust shabab are walking right into a -- a civil war. >> reporter: now, other countries, many european nations as well as islamic aid organizations, have really tried to pick up the slack and help in

somalia in recent months. but this is a place where doing any kind of work is very tough. al shabab maintains its control. it is a very lawless, difficult region and so many need help now. fredricka? >> barbara, i wonder as long as there is this kind of lawlessness, i wonder if the only option for international aid groups to try and offer aid to a number of the somalis who are leaving somalia and then going into northern kenya where many of them are starving along the way, if those international aid groups wouldn't just use the cooperation of kenya and then put all of their supplies there so that people won't have to walk so far before they get to a refugee camp? >> right. i mean, what we know is that many of these groups are now coordinating amongst themselves. they're working through the united nations. the world food program of the u.n. trying to get help to all the places that it is needed. and i think you really put your finger on one of the big challenges. they can get the aid into kenya.

they can get the aid farther north into ethiopia. right in the middle with somalia, it is so tough because that region is just very, very difficult now. the problem is, nobody really knows what al shabab will do. getting in there remains tough. the world food program says it is going to try and start air lifting supplies right into somalia in the coming days. >> incredibly sad. thanks so much, barbara starr. appreciate that. to find out how you can make a difference and help the vilkt ims of famine in east africa visit our impact your world page at cnn.com/impact. all right. back on earth, but still looking to space and the future. the crew of "atlantis" returned from the final shuttle mission. we'll show you the spectacular predawn landing. [ shapiro ] at legalzoom, you can take care of virtually all your important legal matters in just minutes.

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main gear touchdown. now deploying the drag shoot. ferguson rotating the nose gear down to the deck. nose gear touchdown. having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time. its voyage at an end.

>> beautiful mission complete for the space shuttle "atlantis." the spectacular predawn landing at the kennedy space center marked the end of 30 years of shuttle flights for nasa. it's a day of mixed emotions for workers at the kennedy space center. an employee appreciation event is under way right now. take a look at this. live picture. a nasa administrator says the shuttle landing turns the page on a remarkable era and begins the next chapter of space exploration. cnn's john zarrella joins me live from the kennedy space center with more on the shuttle "atlantis" and its sentimental journey into history. john, what was it like when "atlantis" touched down for the last time? >> reporter: yeah, you know, up until now, fredricka, you always sit there and you say, well, there's always going to be another launch to come to, always another landing to come to. that's certainly not the case anymore. this was it. you know, you just mentioned those live pictures, the shuttle "atlantis" being towed over to what's known as the orbiter

processing facility. and it's going to be left outside that building for a while to allow the nasa employees to all come up to it and see the vehicle outside. it will be brought inside and will spend a couple of years, pretty much, in there until the new building where it's going to be housed, the museum building, is ready. that's just a couple miles away. "atlantis" is going to be right here at the kennedy space center visitor complex. they're getting that building ready. they're going to ground break that probably in the late fall. but, yeah, you know, tomorrow some 2,300 workers are going to be laid off as well. so that's a real, real tough thing here. so very bittersweet. you know, the crew, the four-member crew got off the orbiter about an hour and a half after it -- after it touched down. they walked around the vehicle. there were hugs. people were shaking their hands. and then commander ferguson came

out and spoke a few words. and we were actually taken out to the landing site. and i spoke with lori garver, who is the deputy administrator. because congress is already talking about cutting nasa's budget next year. and garver had some very, very stark words about what the future would be like if congress goes through with more budget cuts for nasa. >> additional hard choices are not going to come without a cost. we will either be counting on the russians for a decade, or we will be not allowing the future generations to see that blue ocean on a distance planet. >> so, john, i know it is -- it is bittersweet. and we see when they're having that appreciation day celebration, we've been looking at the live pictures just as you

were talking, about how sentimental this journey really has been. you can hear in the distance there the singing. what else will take place there during this appreciation day event? >> reporter: well, we're waiting for the astronauts themselves are going to come out and hold a news conference. there was already a news conference by the mission management team talking about what a great flight this was, how perfectly clean the vehicle was. and then that's going to wrap it up. as i mentioned, you know, tomorrow, 2,300 people, many of them who are at that event right now, are going to be saying good-bye because their jobs are over. >> i'm sure there are a lot of tears there. the singing of the national anthem as well. thanks so much. john zarrella, appreciate that from the kennedy space center. as john mentioned, now that the shuttle program is finally over, thousands of nasa employees will

lose their jobs. we'll talk to some of them about their future plans. that's coming up in the next hour of the newsroom. you have also been sounding off on our talkback question. should republicans participate in religious events? ca carol costello is back with your responses. >> not just republicans. all politicians, should they participate in religious events? adam says the leaders of our country literally turn to god to solve our problems, it is a sad day for all of us. maybe i'll ask sant claus to help me bay off my student loans. wake up, people. diane says if they are religious, then why not? there is freedom of religion in this country and that should extend to every person. ash says, no. americans need to stop pretending christianity is the religion of this nation. it's unconstitutional. christian says, absolutely. this whole church versus state thing has gotten so far out of control that i'm surprised god isn't on the fbi's most wanted list by now. angel says the only guidance

from above politicians receive is from the checkbooks of lobbyists. facebook.com/carolcnn. please continue the conversation. i'll be back with you in about 15 minutes. >> all right. perfect. thanks so much, carol. appreciate that. so the debt debate stalemate. what does the public think about all that bickering in washington? a new cnn poll tells who the american people are actually blaming. that's coming up in the political ticker. and perhaps you're away from your television set. we don't have to be out of your lives. there are other ways in which you can watch the "cnn newsroom" right now, whether it be on your phone, your computer or, of course, your ipad. have one of these? it's very easy. just use your cnn app that you want to download there. when you get to that first page, there's going to be a tv live little tab right at the top. click that and you will see this program live as it happens right here. of course, it's available to most cable subscribers no matter where you are. just check out cnn.com/video or just download the app and then

be on the go. there's a little bit of a delay. that's why you're seeing me right there. all right. we'll be right back. er whirring] sometimes it pays to switch things up. my - what, my hair? no. car insurance. i switched to progressive and they gave me discounts for the time i spent with my old company. saved a bunch. that's a reason to switch. big savings -- it's a good look for you. [ blower whirring ] [blower stops] the safety was off. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive. [ kimberly ] the university gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. [ carrie ] you're studying how to be an effective leader. [ cherie ] you're dealing with professionals, teaching things that they were doing every day. [ kimberly ] i manage a network of over a thousand nurses. [ carrie ] i helped turn an at-risk school into an award-winning school. [ cherie ] i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah. [ kimberly ] and university of phoenix made it possible. learn more at phoenix.edu.

here is a reminder to vote on the story you want to see next hour. text to 22360, text "1" for a new revolution on film, and then "2" for afghan women pilots, or text "3" for the pit bull painter. the winning story airs next hour.

all right. it's a fight with no end in sight, but what does the public think about the debt debate? paul steinhouser, i hear you have some new poll numbers for us today. >> yeah, they just came out moments ago, fred. the headline is americans want compromise, to end this and get a debt ceiling. this is a poll, a national survey, and we ask there, what should the agreement include, 34% say only spending cuts, and then 64% say it should include a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. go to the next number. this is a real problem. there's a huge partisan divide. democrats overwhelmingly say yes, we want the combining approach, and then independents,

two thirds say that as well, but look, republicans, and self described tea party supporters do not feel that way. most of them say the agreement should include spending cuts. and then the blame game. what happens if nothing happens by august 2nd, and the government defaults on some of the loans. who will get the blame? a slight majority, they say they will blame the republicans in congress more than the democrats and more than the president, and that is also part of the factor here when it comes to the negotiations, fred. >> paul, thank you so much. of course with the latest political news, you know exactly where to go, cnn politics.com. the woman alongside rupert murdoch, the lady in the bink blazer becomes superwoman in her native china.

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and i count on social security. here's what i'm not... a pushover. right now, some in washington want to make a deal cutting the social security and medicare benefits we worked for. with billions in waste and loopholes, how could they look at us? maybe we seem like an easy target... until you realize... there are 50 million of us. [ female announcer ] tell the politicians: cut waste and loopholes, not our benefits.

this past year alone there was a 93% increase in cyber attacks. in financial transactions... on devices... in social interactions... and applications in the cloud. some companies are worried. some, not so much. thanks to a network that secures it all and knows what to keep in, and what to keep out. outsmart the threats. see how at cisco.com cisco. two days after rupert murdoch appeared before parliament, much of the buzz about his feisty wife. she ran down an attacker. >> it's the slap being heard around the world. she putting herself between her

husband and a protester armed with a shaving cream pie. the image has gone viral. suddenly it's no longer wendy the so-called gold bigger, now some are calling her crouching wendy, hidden tiger. they have her as a cartoon character, the asian tiger wife. one slap for wendy, and one knockout blow to the cry of asian women. the harder she slapped, the more she could tell how eager she was to protect her husband. she's still a woman who longs for love. people are starting to see the gold digger differently, and wendi dong. if murdoch was just one poor old

man, would wendi dung stay with him and have his babies? everything between them is about money. >> i used to thing she only loved his money, but her move was fast and instincts. this may be actually true love. she might really love him. >> i admire her courage, this man says. she did it out of her obligation and responsibility as a wife, and she did it very well. rupert murdoch was singing his wife's praises on an interview just last month, a tough woman he called her. the 80-year-old gushing about meeting wend yichi when she wor for star television, and falling in love with a woman half her

age, and convincing her to marry him. >> it took me a long time to persuade her. >> they married in 1999, after murdoch divorced his wife of 31 years. they now have two daughters, and wendi's own romantic past raised eyebrows, and sometimes it's talked about the strained relationship between her and his children. hello, againeverybody. let's get you up to speed. >> nose gear touch down. having fired the imagination of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls

into port for the last time. >> "atlantis" lands at florida's kennedy's space center, bringing the shuttle program to a close. they have logged more than half a billion miles in space. history books will note that chris ferguson commanded the last flight. >> hopefully, i want that picture of a young, 6-year-old boy, looking up at a space shuttle in a museum, and say, you know, daddy, i want to do something like that when i grow up. >> also here on earth, a utility company on notice. homeland security officials say there's a chance terrorists could strike electrical, gas or water facilities. nothing suggests anything is imminent, but they tell cnn recent incidents give them concern and they did not

elaborate anything further. nato and afghan forces say they seized poppy seeds. right now you don't have to feel so naked when you go through the airport body scanner. the government will install new software at 41 airports, instead of a full body image that shows everything, it shows a generic silhouette. the city of memphis said it spent $3 million to the school board, part of what it owes for the last school year. officials say the city doesn't have the $55 million on hand. the school board is demanding the school board pay exactly that, $55 million for the coming school year or schools won't open on august 8th as scheduled.

the city said they won't have the money until september when taxes are paid. >> this is about what is best for the children. that's all i care about. >> almost half of this country's population will be sweltering in a dangerous heat wave today. hot air and high humidity will make big cities along the i-95 corridor feel like a shaauna. and then nfl players meeting today to vote on a deal, and if finalized it would divvy up the revenue. players were supposed to vote yesterday but never did suggesting there are details to work out. and nfl fans say enough already. >> 10% unemployment in the country, right? us poor folks scrapping and scraping to get by. come on, it's billion airs

against millionaires, right? can you not meet in the middle somewhere? all right. hardly a haur day's night at kristi's auction house. photographer mike mitchell got the shots during the first american tour for the beatles. mitchell was just 18 years old when he snapped the pictures, and now he's 65, and enjoying the jackpot. as the federal government scam bulls to pay its bills, we get a report warning that billions of the tax dollars may be going to extremists killing troops in afghanistan. chris lawrence joins us. >> they are good, fredricka. ten years into the war in

afghanistan, the u.s. only has limited visibility over what happens to billions of dollars once we send that money to afghanistan. the inspector general found that that leads to making all this money vulnerable to fraud, and even worse, the possibility of it being diverted to insurgency. how much money are we talk about? the u.s. has spent $70 billion in afghanistan redevelopment and security projects, but the audit finds as much as $10 million may be struggled out of the country every single day. how does that happen? afghan government officials don't have to account for the cash that they are carrying with them when they leave the country. the audit shows that afghan officials have no plans whatsoever to scan their cash through those electronic currency counters. the u.s. would be able to keep a better check on this, but u.s. officials are denied access to the part of the airport where

the vips come and go from, and now hamid karzi has basically banned u.s. treasury officials from working with the afghan central bank. through all this, obama and the administration are asking for billions of more dollars for afghan reconstruction this year. and democrats are starting to wonder if we are throwing good money after bad. we spoke with senator claire mccaskill, who has been keeping an eye over that funds and reconstruction for years in afghanistan. >> i know the troops are doing everything they are being asked to do, and in return, we owe them a duty to make sure that american dollars are not in any way flowing to the enemy. if they are not willing to allow us to look over the shoulder as this money flows into the afghan economy, we ought to say to them maybe we don't let that money flow.

>> fred, there's an agency that tracks some of the problems, and they forwarded 21 leads to the afghan government, and the afghan attorney general's office only followed up on four of them. >> chris lawrence, thank you so much. we appreciate that. >> yep. here is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. carol costello is in washington with today's question. should politicians participate in religious events. what are folks saying? >> it's a hot question, fredricka. the country is drowning in debt, and jobs are mia and lawmakers are too busy to help, so why not pray. and there is an event dubbed the response. >> the community is in crisis and people adrift in a sea of immoral relativism, and we need god's help, that's why i am

calling on americans to pray and fast like jesus did. >> now, the event is sponsored by the american family association, a christian organization, and that has folks in texas upset. they say a texas governor should not be involved in a religious revooifl you will, because it blurs the line between religion and state. guess what? the president talks religion. >> it is through that experience, working with pastors and lay people trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods that i came to know jesus christ for myself and embrace him as my lord and saver. >> still, the event in texas has become the hot potato, and his role has yet to be determined, so the "talk back" question

today, should politicians participate in religious events? face back.com carol cnn. i will read some responses later this hour. >> thank you, carol. here is a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. first, families of 9/11 victims meet with the attorney general to talk about hacking allegations. what are pinging and blaging. watch the report on tab laid tricks. a wind surfer gets an unexpected trip from the coast guard. and then a generation demanding change, blogging and tweeting, is it taking the place of boots on the ground? hour guests calls it slactivism. and then the kid that played darth vader in this super bowl ad. take a look.

guess what? he is heading to capitol hill to try and stop medicaid cuts. dr. sanjay gupta talked to him and his family about it. [ kimberly ] when i was 19, i found myself alone with two children and no way to support them. people told me i wasn't going to do anything. and i just decided i have more to offer than that. i put myself through nursing school, and then i decided to go get a doctorate degree. university of phoenix gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. my name is dr. kimberly horton. i manage a network of over a thousand nurses, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu.

[ male announcer ] time to check your air conditioning? come to meineke now and get a free ac system check and a free cooler with paid ac service. meineke. we have the coolest customers. this just in. cnn confirming john edwards is ordered to give back the matching funds. the fcc said he was given too much. the lawyers are indicating the democrat does not owe anything, and the attorneys can appeal the 6-0 decision. joe johns will be along with us to give us more details about

the fcc. rupert murdoch returned from a hearing about the phone hacking scandal that rocked his empire. authorities tell cnn that they are looking into the use of private investigators by other british papers. relatives of 9/11 victims plan to meet with justice department officials to discuss allegations that they were also targeted possibly. a british tabloid reported that a newspaper owned by murdoch tried to hack into the phone conversations and voicemails of the 9/11 terrorists attacks. the fbi is investigating that claim. it seems it's the tabloid media culture in britain to use unscrupulous methods to get the stories. we look at some of the techniques. >> reporter: for british tabloids like the recently

deceased "news of the world," it appears everyone, everywhere was fair game. actors, business tycoons, royals, politicians, all potential front page fodder caught up in journalism that bordered on blood sports. >> they very much crossed the line. they did not do it once or twice. we're not talking about a single rogue reporter. apparently it happened at least four times. >> bonnie fuller has been the driving force behind magazines like "star," "u.s. weekly," and now "hollywood life." >> they are much nastier than anything you would find there, and they look to tear down people. the journalists able to do this, it's not that complicated or

hard. >> john able walked us through the most common techniques. phone hacking, shockingly easy. >> most people don't change their pin or passwords, so once they are able to correlate a specific phone number with a specific carrier, all they have to do is dial into that voice mail box and enter the default pin. >> another technique, something called pinging, using cell phones and cell towers like gps to track somebody's movements and locations. >> the carriers know where you are within a few square meters, based on the cell phone towers that your phone is connected to. >> that information is usually hacked or accessed through bribes. after all, bribing anybody with any access to famous people is allegedly a long-used tabloid technique, as is something that the british call blaging, using it to get confidential

information. >> frank: your tone is correct, if your demeanor is proper, if you sound like you deserve the information you want. >> the reality? once information exists in digital form on the internet or phones, experts say it's game over. anybody that knows what they are doing can figure out how to get it. deborah feyerick, cnn, new york. it's hot and steamy everywhere you go, and no end in sight. this is one out july. >> and not far from where i grew up in omahas, 123 is what it faelt like yesterday. we just chatted like this. you have all been in steam rooms, and saunas, they turn them up to 170 degrees, and steam rooms go to 105, but steam

rooms feel like 200 degrees in there, and at 105 the feels-like temperature is 200, and the sauna feels like 140, because the body sweats and the sweat evaporates. unbelievable to understand that 105 is actually warmer and hotter on the body than 170 just because of the humidity. and the humidity is the problem in the northeast. new york, philadelphia, richmond, and all the way down into d.c., the relative humidity today will be almost 100% in the morning, and 15 or 20% lower than that in the afternoon, makes the feel-like temperature about 105. tomorrow 109, and d.c. 106. i can't imagine what it feels like somewhere down on the eastern shore, along the potomac, and along the

chesapeake, where you are in the swamp, anyway -- >> i will call my family. usually it feels like august. >> it never felt like this before. minneapolis had the highest dew point ever on record. so this is really ugly. this is -- we have had a lot of flooding, and a lot of water on the ground, and now it's steaming. >> people cannot wait for fall. >> come on football season. >> well, you like baseball season. >> i do. >> right. imagine what it's like to see a ball coming your way and you think it's going to be yours, and then -- >> smashed by -- >> well, you can relate to this guy, that big guy grabbed the ball coming my way. and apparently, the team felt for him, and the giant announcers sent up a baseball to

him. some for the whole row. >> well, at least he is happy. >> everybody can relate to that. that's sweet. another kid that grabbed national attention is back and on a mission. remember this commercial? ♪ >> chad the football fan that he is, he saw the commercial along with you and everybody else, and this mini darth vader is taking on washington now. dr. sanjay gupta explains.

you remember moments ago the federal election commission is ordering that democratic presidential candidate john edwards pay back a sizeable sum. let's check with joe johns in washington. how did they come to this decision? >> well, as you know, this is even more trouble for a guy that once ran for president in 2008, and he was vice presidential candidate with john kerry. john edwards now is under indictment, under federal indictment in north carolina linea on allegations that he misused campaign funds given to him and actually used it to cover up an affair. but now the federal election commission saying that he has to repay something like $2.3 million, which it was federal matching funds went into his campaign in 2008.

fec is saying today he has to repay that money essentially because they sort of over stated the amount of money they brought in, and understated the amount of money they put out. we have not been able to speak yet to attorneys for john edwards. they have obviously been heavily involved in all the trouble he has had for so many months now. however, we do know that he said previously that he has not done anything wrong in relation to the indictment in north carolina. we suspect -- and there is some other reporting out there suggesting that his attorneys are saying he doesn't owe this money. so it looks like an accounting function by the federal election commission and we also know that were john edwards actually to go through trial and be convicted, then the fec would have a whole new can of worms to deal with in relation to money he received in

the 2008 campaign. so that's what we know. $2.3 million. the fec says he has to repay it. this is not a completely final decision, because we're told that he can appeal it, and it's highly likely that he will appeal it, as a matter of fact, fredricka. >> joe johns, thank you so much in washington. appreciate that. cuts to medicaid and other health care programs are some of the hottest issues in the washington budget talks. behind the numbers are real people suffering real consequences, including a little boy that stole our hearts in a commercial, and sanjay gupta explains. >> take a look at who i met when i was out in l.a. >> dr. gupta? >> yes, sir.

>> you're it! >> i'm it? >> yep. >> he only knows one speed. full steam ahead. you have probably seen max before even though you may not know it. remember this ad from super bowl xlv? just max. max was asking about my daughters within minutes of meeting them. >> three girls. >> let me guess, 4-year-old, 2-year-old, and a -- >> how did you know? we're at the children's hospital in los angeles with his max and his brother. >> can i see your pace maker? >> that's right. he has a pacemaker, and it's his third. the first sign of trouble came before max was born. >> my 30-week appointment, we found out max had structural

damage to his heart. they took him emergency c-section, and born in a whirlwind. >> the last feeling i remember it's hopelessness because it's out of my hands as a dad, and as a dad, that's not something we're used to. >> i said please save my son, i don't know what you said or understand anything you are going to do, i need a chance to know this kid. >> it's hard to damage, but for mom and dad it was all a blur. max was born with a heart condition that is rare, and it includes four separate problems in the heart, which leads to a lack of oxygen in the blood. without a pace maker, and eight major operations so far, max probably wouldn't be here. >> can you feel it, max? can you feel a pacemaker? >> if you touch it or something hits it, that's only when i feel it. >> it's like the movie "cars," they show the pistons going

around, and you want them to work together. you have to have them working together. >> something like this for max or any child like max should be cared for in a children's hospital. could any hospital -- >> no, no, this is a fairly sophisticated, fairly subspecialized area of medicine. there are slightly over 100 of us in the country, so they are not that many people who do what we do. >> it's that kind of skill that max needs. fred, there are only 56 of the specialized children's hospitals in the whole country. the programs that train the doctors are on the chopping block. little max is headed to capitol hill to lobby for that program and to argue cuts to medicaid, which helps tens of millions of other kids. >> see the rest of sanjay's report on mini darth vader, the

max page, and that's this saturday and sunday at 7:30 a.m. eastern. that's right here on cnn. young people are organizing in d.c. today because they are worried that they will be hurt if a debt deal is not reached in time. i will talk to one student body president. and while we always have a bag packed, we have the inside scoop on the best restaurant and travel spots around the globe. this week's travel insider, chad mayors, takes us to his favorite science museum. >> i will show you one of the coolest places around atlanta, georgia, that you probably never heard of. the science museum. behind me, the table of elements. you heard about it, and probably forgot about it, and here you get to look and see what every element does. what is this and why is there a

spinkler head back there? it's what turns your sprinkler on. something else that i love about this museum. there are very few places you ever see this sign. please touch. where is the "do not" in there? they want you to touch right there that. look at that. it's a huge piece of petrified wood. you see the outside. that's a neat-looking piece right there. another piece of petrified wood. it's all about the earth on this side. and some dinosaurs here as well. if you come over here, you can hit this, it says right here, "hit here," and you make your own earthquake, and a couple aftershocks, too. kind of cool. and then you take a look at the world. the world from the top of the

world, where you look down at thing goodle earth and some clouds, and then you take a look from the inside, the crusts and places i never heard of. and then the outer core and the inner core, and no trip to the science museum would be complete for a meteorologisti without coming over here and getting to tauch 10-pound meteor. mine was earned over the south pacific in 1943. vietnam, 1967. i got mine in iraq, 2003. u.s.a.a. auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation, because it offers a superior level of protection

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here is a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. next, students sound off about the debt crisis with a letter to the president and congress. the end of the shuttle program means thousands are out of a job. hear what they are doing to survive. later, they blog and tweet to demand change, but is it laptop activisactivism. our guest calls it slacktivism. the focus shifted back to a short term deal to buy more term

for negotiators. last hour i talked with cnn contributor, john avalon, about a standoff over a broader reducing program. >> these folks are trying to play political games when we have an objective deadline approaching. there's a hard core group of folks in the republican house in particular, approaching negotiations with an all or nothing mindset. the question is, is that your first priority, or drawing a line on taxes? >> our young people are unhpy that the debt crisis still has not been solved, so they have formed an organization called do we have a deal yet? it's a coalition of 120 student body presidents meeting in d.c. today to read a letter to the president and to u.s. congress, letting them know that young

people want politics to be put aside. joining me is the president of the student assembly at the college of william and mary. good to see you. >> thank you so much for having me. >> what is your biggest fear if this debt deal is not reached in time? >> that's something that we're not choosing to really accept as a possibility at this point. the whole premise of do we have a deal yet is banking on the fact that we will keep asking that question until it gets to a point where we have a deal. august 2nd is really the deadline we're looking at, and there's so much at stake. >> tell me in your view, what you believe is at stake, short term and long term, especially for your generation? >> one of the things we keep saying is we feel washington is kicking the can about this, and we're here to show that the can

can kickback, so to speak, because we're the can. we're going to be homeowners one day, and be parents one day, and this is going to be affecting us for years to come as we continue to grow older, so this is something that we feel that we need to have a voice in as well. >> your worried about social security, and you're worried about interest rates, if you were to buy a home or car, etc., you worry about health care. if you had an opportunity, and perhaps lawmakers and the president are listening to you right now, what would you say to them directly as to what you would want to see in this deal to help better secure your future? >> essentially, we're asking, and again, we're over 150 student body presidents, representing 2 million students now. we come from a huge -- from such a collectic variety of students. we have come to a consensus. what we are asking, there has to

be shared sacrifice, and everything does have to be put on the table, but focus on the common purpose and focus on what america needs for the future, because we need to stop acting as individuals and what is in the best interest of me or you, and focus on what is in the best interest of the country. >> okay, thank you so much for your time and we appreciate it. enjoy your time in wash. >> thank you, appreciate it. "atlantis" is back on the ground, but the future is up in the air for thousands of nasa workers now that the shuttle program is ending. we talked to some of them about their plans. [ male announcer ] introducing the ultimate business phone --

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main gear touchdown. now deploying the drag shoot. >> mission complete for the shuttle "atlantis." it's a day of mixed emotions at the kennedy space center.

the end of the shuttle program means the end of thousands of jobs. 2,300 nasa workers will be laid off within days, and 6,000 more will lose their jobs in the coming months. some shuttle employees already moved on while others face an uncertain future. >> stephanie estrada is lucky, and knows it. >> every single step i have taken, it was timely and the right move, and -- for some reason it has worked out. >> stephanie is a lawyer. she wears suits. she wore them before, too, but those were called bunny suits, nasa's suit for what you put on. >> whether it was law related or working at mcdonald's, i didn't care. >> while still with nasa, she went to night school and got her law degree and left the space

agency before it left her. by the time the three shuttles are sent to museums, nearly 8,000 people will have lost their jobs. >> this was given to me as a -- just a reminder from everybody. they signed it. >> bill bender already lost his. he ran the department that tracks and photographed shuttles as they liftoff and land, and he thought he made a wise decision moving from the shuttle to the new constellation program. it was going to be the future, taking humans to deep space, instead constellation got deep six'd. five months ago he found himself without a job. >> i still want to be part of it, but i amgeni beginning to c to the point where i need to maybe let it go and look after things and after myself. >> bill has given thought to a job in afghanistan working on parameter defense imagery. >> get this thing plugged in and

you're ready to go. >> as soon as the shuttle comes in, zinc's job won't end until the vehicles leave for museums, and after that he plans to start up an organization that bring science and engineering to kids. >> we have a lot of experience and knowledge that we would love to pass on to another generation. we figured let's get together, and let's go where the kids are or bring them to us. >> zinc has seen a lot of friends go. within 24 hours of "atlantis'" landing, he will see more. 2,300 people will be leaving. the shuttle program is over, it's done. >> the end of the shuttle program is not winning the support of many americans. according to the latest cnn orc poll, half of all americans feel it's bad for the country. one third say no affect, and 16%

believe the money to be used elsewhere. and then is it a lazy form of activism. our guests explains "slacktivism."

they are known as a millennials, a generation that came of age at the turn of the century. my next guest, a comedian, says by making a cyber comment, they are thinking they are actually affecting the world and they don't take action in the real

world he says, and he's calling it "slacktivism." you wrote an article for this on cnn.com. >> i will be honest. i am part of the generation, even though i am a little older chronologically. i love social media. follow me on twitter and i love the whole experience. for some people, and not all of them, but for clicking like on a face book article or reading somebody else's thoughts makes you feel like you're an activist. that's not enough. it's great to raise awareness, but you must take the next step to effect change. >> just think egypt, and what some are now calling the arab spring. all of that in large part was ignited by activism online and

on facebook. >> i perform as a standup comic, in egypt, and facebook brought people together, but all the tweets in the world are not going to draw people in egypt out of their office. in america, we look at the history, do you think martin luther king, if he did not go down in person and instead tweeted i have a dream, a vision, it would have had the same affect? no, i want people to get involved. >> how are you going to convey that message? facebook? >> facebook and twitter -- no, i love social media. i am not saying there's anything wrong with it. i don't like reality shows much because that's making us lazy and we sit around and we watch people do things and we judge them and feel good about ourselves. i started comedians for sarah palin on twitter, and it's fun

and joking but tries to make a point at the same time. use it. that's the first step, not the last step. that's my point. the quote i have from robert kennedy, he says few people can change all of history but together by making little steps we can leave a legacy of our generation, and that's what i hope we do, that we're aware of the slacktivism generation should not be the label. the kids at the colleges that i perform for are smart and don't leave it on social media, but go out and act in the streets. >> you are worried they won't take it a step further? >> yeah, don't just push "like" on facebook and feel good about yourself. 20 people protesting gets media coverage today. look at the guy on earlier before today, about the students for the debt deal. that gets media coverage. little things like that can do it. young people don't realize how little it takes to make a

difference. >> well said. thank you so much. always good to see you. >> thank you. our "talk back" question today centers on a classic battle, the separation between church and state. should politicians participate in religious events? our carol costello will be back with more of your responses after this. gallon on the highwa. how does it do that? well, to get there, a lot of complicated engineering goes into every one. like variable valve timing and turbocharging, active front grille shutters that close at high speeds, and friction reducing -- oh, man, that is complicated. how about this -- cruze eco offers 42 miles per gallon. cool? ♪

you have been sounding off on our "talk back" question, should politicians participate in religious events.

carol costello, back with your responses. carol? >> oh, boy, have people been responding. jason says politicians are americans citizens too. they deserve to worship god and anything they want to do. timothy says i wouldn't say you shouldn't be involved. i would say he shouldn't be leading. it's one thing to do something to pray as a private citizen or leading seeking guidance, and it's quite another to endorse a device religious opinion when we should be working. >> don't they believe in the bible. olivia says, that's their right, yes, even if i don't agree with their religious views, it's nice to know that some politicians have some type of moral compass.

keep the conversation going on facebook.com/carolcnn. >> we asked and people delivered. we asked about this, what you want to see. your choose the news story moments away. [ female announcer ] the healing power of touch can be even more powerful, with precise pain relieving cream. it blocks pain signals fast for relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol.

this just in. the u.s. treasury department announced a few minutes ago that chrysler paid off the government loans under the t.a.r.p. program six years early. taxpayers committed $12.5

billion to save chrysler. treasury says taxpayers will lose $1.3 billion on the rescue. chrysler is fully owned by fiat. you voted and we listened. here is your choose the news winner. they are afghanistan's first female pilots. they are getting their wings right here in the u.s. >> the passion and dreams of these four women easily cuts through their broken english. >> we're going to open the door for the ladies in afghanistan. it's a big day for us to open the doors for others, and the others that have dreams that think they cannot do it, we will show them. >> they are lieutenants. it's their dreams of piloting helicopters that could help change the future of women in their homeland. >> these women are path finders and trail blazers, and as much they are subject to the

criticism and the an an tag naysam. >> we are women of afghanistan, and if you want to do something, you can do it. just believe yourself that you can do it. >> back home, these women are battling cultural shoefnism. >> we have examples, and maybe some think that it's not good that we are here. >> one of the english instructors say the future pilots want to redefine women in the afghan culture. >> they look at it as they are opening the door for a lot of other women in the country, and they are also changing the image, perhaps, the international image of the afghan women. they understood the importance

of this. >> these four afghan women will spend anywhere between six to eight months in san antonio where they will be mastering the english language, and then from here they will move to alabama where they will train with the u.s. army and learn to be helicopter pilots. these four women would not be the first female pilots in afghanistan. there's one there now. she became a pilot more than 20 years ago, but it's clear the afghan military is still adjusting to the military and its ranks. she has to bring her child to work with her. these four new ladies prepare to blaze new tails in the skies over their homeland. >> and if your choice did not win or you want to check out the runners up, i will have links on